Oscar 2015: Is 'The Railway Man' an Oscar Contender?

On April 11, the Weinstein Company will release "The Railway Man" hoping to garner buzz and rave reviews.

The film was once thought to be an Oscar contender last year, but with such a crowded slated, the company decided to push the movie back to 2014. The Weinstein Company is now releasing the movie in April.

The film, starring Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman, tells the story of a former British Army officer who was tormented as a prisoner of war at a Japanese labor camp during World War II who discovers that the man responsible for much of his treatment is still alive and sets out to confront him.

The Weinstein Company is known for its Oscar campaigns and for releasing movies based on historical events.

So far, "The Railway Man" has received rave reviews. According to Rotten Tomatoes, here's the critical consensus: "Understated to a fault, 'The Railway Man' transcends its occasionally stodgy pacing with a touching, fact-based story and the quiet chemistry of its stars."

Firth is also garnering rave reviews for his performance in the lead role. Peter Debruge of Variety wrote, "Firth excels at tapping into deep pools of personal suffering, which comes across all the more poignant when he takes the high road."

Meanwhile, Edward Douglas of Comingsoon.net wrote, "Firth gives another awards-worthy performance."

With these great reviews, the Weinstein Company can attempt to get Firth his third nomination. Firth's last films released by the company were successful; both "The King's Speech" and "A Single Man" garnered Best Actor nominations for Firth. However, both those films were released in November.

The April release for the movie could serve as a good strategy, especially with an already crowded slate of indie films. Fox Searchlight already released "The Grand Budapest Hotel" to rave reviews and is hoping the box office success will help generate buzz and keep the film in the voters' minds.

However, the early release date could be a double-edged sword. Last year, a number of critically-acclaimed films were released in the early part of the year and became box office successes. However, they were forgotten by the time Oscar season came along. Those films included "The Place Beyond Pines," "Mud" and "Spring Breakers." All three films had major indie studios releasing the pictures and had incredible campaigns. However, not one of the films was nominated.

Of course, the Weinstein Company could be an exception to the rule. It has a greater track record with the Academy and the company's CEO Harvey Weinstein knows how to get films Oscar nominations.

Additionally, a number of Best Picture contenders have been released in the early part of the year that have become great successes. Among these films are "Crash" and "Gladiator" which were released in May. "The Silence of the Lambs" was also released early and also had Oscar success.

It is still too early to know if the Weinstein Company will actually promote the film as an awards contender, but if the film is successful, it is sure to resonate with audiences and Academy voters.